Category Archives: Council

Last week Mr George Gideon Osborne went to Manchester to provide the people with a new Mayor & promises of a New Northern Powerhouse to rival London.

Proceed With Extreme caution Mancunians

This is not some deal just put together to make the North-v-South divide disappear. This is part of regional development strategy that will see the
British Isles sliced up into regions. Yes the very regions you vote in for in the EU elections. I’m not joking about this. These plans have been slowly coming to fruition over the past few EU Parliamentary Terms.

It is assumed that we will all sit back & meekly allow not only our country but even parts of our geographical sense of who we are. For example Greater Manchester also covers Bury, Ramsbottom & Heywood. However, when I was growing up these old Mill towns were in the County of Lancashire. In fact since the change to Greater Manchester, that “new label” has never been used by the vast majority of native Lancastrians. We always have & always will refer to ourselves as being Lancashire folk because we are proud Lancastrians!

Only 2 years ago the good people of Manchester voted against having an elected mayor! Here we are 2 years later and not only has the Localism Bill fallen by the wayside but so to has the will of the people!

This has been coming for a long time yet the people have not been given a say, many most likely had no idea this announcement was going to happen let alone that they were going to be the guinea pigs of this great EU Venture.

We have heard that there is a Greater Birmingham proposal which is in the very near offing. To quote Dudley Labour Council Leader, Cllr David Sparks, “a greater Birmingham is Not Only DESIRABLE BUT is INEVITABLE!”

Wait just one cotton picking minute Mr Sparks what about what the people want? The residents of Dudley are proud of their Black Country roots, do you really believe that they will want to be part of a Greater Birmingham? I jolly well doubt it! Will they get a say? Is it too late to save them from this desirable & inevitable state of their Region?

Since the first draft of this blog it has happened! The discussions have been had and 5 authorities have now come together to form some sort of “alliance”! This is not the end of the scheme as soon as Coventry, Solihull & the Shires get on board that will bring about the EU Region as designed by the EU! You may think blimey she’s lost the plot. I can assure you I lost my plot years ago! I do not want my native Lancashire nor the Black Country, Cornwall, Kent or Essex, Middlesborough or Edinburgh becoming the big cities who feed down to the small town councils the crumbs they have left! I know Birmingham Council have to make £300 million of cuts! So if the proposals go ahead how much will these cities take from the budget? You have a think about it, sit and just ask yourself what is the most likely way these cuts will be met?

Sadly, I know of a door, deep inside the EU Parliament (Brussels Annexe) which has on its front not just a number BUT also has the name plate “Greater Birmingham Development Office” (Yes it’s over a few rows to fit on the door!).

Behind this door the Regional Development process for Greater Birmingham is being worked on as you read this! As Cllr Sparks is chairman of Local Government Association (or some such grandiose title which likely commands a hefty allowance too) he will be all to familiar and up to date with this yet he’s not provided the people he serves with full and frank disclosure on this matter.

It would seem to me that they will keep these secrets from us all until it is too late for any of us to change it! So I don’t expect any announcements relating to any of this until after the 2015 elections!

When you hear the plans in June 2015 or just after please remember this blog because you may find your local area being simply known as Region 3 or Region 4 etc!

Like this:

Wonder if the Forum will be anything like those on TV frequented by Frankie Howerd……..???

In my new capacity as Councillor for Coseley East I will be attending my first community forum.

I had hoped my new car would have arrived in time so will probably roll down in the chariot, as long as it’s a nice an evening as it is tonight.

I’m hoping lots of people will turn up & have their say. I will be the only ‘Kipper on the Forum. I will have 2 Tories & 2 Labour somewhere near me. That should bring some very barbed comments coming my way! Good job I’ve got a thick skin! Lol

I have got the agenda and some of the requests for community funds are reasonable others not so much. I really hope the people turn up to have their say & not just those with a vested interests.

Sorry it’s a pretty uneventful day but my new tattoo is looking rather fab & groovy. My space mobile is due on Thursday. I can’t wait, lots of photos will be posted it’s a huge step up from the pope mobile. The pope mobile served a purpose & to that I’m eternally grateful. He will be returned to the great cars for sale market. I know he will be a great help for his next owners, he just doesn’t suit my new needs.

So will report on the Forum tomorrow & let you all know what it’s like!